


worth it

by homeformyheart_jen



Category: The Wayhaven Chronicles (Interactive Fiction)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-14 18:47:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28800066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/homeformyheart_jen/pseuds/homeformyheart_jen
Summary: mason finally figures things out after a particularly insightful movie night at the warehouse.
Relationships: Female Detective/Mason (The Wayhaven Chronicles)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	worth it

**Author's Note:**

> author’s note: i was inspired by the book 2 moments as well as the book 3 demo (no spoilers though) – for context, this detective has not done anything physical with M. i hope you enjoy!  
> copyright: all characters, except the oc detective, are owned by mishka jenkins @seraphinitegames.  
> series/pairing: the wayhaven chronicles – mason x f!detective (brooklyn kingston)  
> rating/warnings: 13+; swearing  
> word count: 1.9k

**_worth it_ **

mason twirled an unlit cigarette between his fingers, his other hand shoved deep in his pocket, fingers wrapped around his lighter. he didn’t even have the urge to smoke anymore, which was odd, because he still _felt_ everything around him a little too much. he didn’t understand why it was so easy to quit but chalked it up to wanting to treat the detective with respect as a member of the team.

it didn’t occur to him until after brooks had walked out of the bakery that there might be more to it. that maybe it wasn’t just about respect or trying to get into her pants. he wasn’t sure what else there could be – it’s not like they had done anything physically that would be enough to replace his coping mechanism.

now when he felt the urge to smoke, he saw her face instead. heard her voice telling him that the smoke would eventually kill her. pictured that gentle, hopeful look on her face accentuated by a soft smile. saw her sitting behind her desk, head tilted and resting on her hand while pointing to the “no smoking” sign in her office with the other.

and it helped. the uncomfortable and often borderline painful sensations on his body and in his mind receded when he let himself think of her.

maybe when the world was too loud and too bright, _she_ was what he needed.

he had to give her credit. brooklyn was a damn professional. in the weeks since that conversation in the bakery, there wasn’t a moment where she didn’t seem like her normal self around the team. she bantered with felix, discussed research and theories with nat, and planned out investigative tactics with ava. they continued to work on the kidnapping case as a team, with her taking the lead and only occasionally butting heads with ava. with him, she rolled her eyes at his remarks and remained indifferent when he sat near her at their bi-weekly meetings.

even though everything seemed normal on the outside, mason could sense something had changed for them both. brooklyn had withdrawn into herself, avoiding holding his gaze beyond a passing glance, and ignoring his suggestive remarks when they were alone. it created an unfamiliar ache in his chest, to the point where he wasn’t enjoying flirting with her as much. it was a odd sense of discomfort to feel, seeing as how he was no stranger to uncomfortable sensations.

at least ava and nate had the decency to play along as though nothing was amiss, even though every once in a while, nate would throw a worried glance their way. felix, however, had no such qualms about pointing out the obvious awkwardness between them.

“so… brooklyn, you haven’t hung out with us in a while outside of these meetings,” felix said with a grin that mason was starting to _really_ hate. he let out a low growl, which felix pointedly ignored. “and i know mason would _loooove_ your company. he just broods in the dark when you’re not here.”

brooklyn had to suppress the chuckle that wanted to emerge at the image of mason hiding in a corner of the room and arched one of her eyebrows at felix instead. “i don’t see how his brooding has anything to do with me.”

“because the man is clearly –”

“felix!” nat’s exasperated tone cut him off before he could finish his sentence, but the knowing look in his eyes and sympathetic smile made brooklyn’s heart thud a little louder than usual.

“um, i guess it has been a while since we’ve done something not work-related. why don’t we watch a movie or something?” she suggested, trying to divert everyone’s attention away from whatever it was that felix was about to say.

“yes! you pick the movie and i’ll get the popcorn and we’ll watch it right here!” felix’s eyes shined with excitement and brooklyn couldn’t help but chuckle.

and that’s how mason found himself watching _pride and prejudice_ in the warehouse living room later that week.

brooklyn wiped a stray tear from her eye as mason leaned toward her. “seriously? this makes you cry?” he was genuinely sort of surprised. brooklyn could be just as, if not more, stoic than rebecca and he found her difficult to read sometimes, especially if she refused to make eye contact with him and if her body didn’t react to his advances.

“he’s got too much pride, she has too much prejudice. he says he’s not good with words, so he _shows_ her how much he loves her by overcoming the issues his pride caused and when she finally sees all that he does and understands his true nature, of _course_ she falls in love with him. it just works, okay!” brooklyn sniffled, putting a hand on her heart. “it’s one of my favorite movies.”

“mine too! i mean, it is now anyway,” felix said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “are you going to stay tonight, brooks?”

brooklyn covered her mouth to stifle her yawn. “i shouldn’t. i have to be up early tomorrow and i didn’t bring my car since it was so nice out.”

nat frowned. “it’s dark, one of us should—”

“i’ll walk you home,” mason interrupted, standing from where he had been sitting on the armrest of the couch during the entire movie.

brooklyn hesitated. it had been easy to forget what happened at the bakery and pretend as though nothing was wrong when she avoided being alone with mason. but she also didn’t want to draw attention to the fact that she was avoiding him, even though she knew the team had probably figured it out and were just being nice about it.

she looked up at the expectant looks from the others and realized she had fallen silent. “oh, um, alright, i’ll see you all tomorrow,” she said quickly, picking up her purse and following mason out.

“i really wish those two would work things out,” felix said softly once the door had closed.

“i’m sure they will. brooklyn’s just going to have to be a little patient with him while he figures things out,” nat said, picking up the first edition _pride and prejudice_ book she decided to read while everyone else watched the movie.

the walk back to brooklyn’s apartment was quiet but to her surprise, not wholly unpleasant. for the first time in a while, her chest wasn’t constricting from actively trying to suppress her feelings and reactions around mason. for some reason, they were able to walk side-by-side, his warm presence washing over her and easing whatever tension she had been holding that day and letting her body relax.

by the time they made it back to her apartment, her arms swayed casually at her sides and she smiled contentedly to herself. she hoped they could end the night on a high note and moved to unlock her door.

“hey, brooklyn.”

she tensed before looking up at mason, one hand holding her keys near the doorknob. he was leaning against the wall, hands tucked deep into his pockets.

“yes?”

he looked at her with something brooklyn hadn’t ever seen before swirling in his grey eyes. his mouth opened and then closed as if he wasn’t sure what he wanted to say before frowning and looking away.

she tilted her head sideways. “isn’t this where you make some suggestive comment to try to get into my pants?”

mason’s head snapped back to look at her so fast she almost missed it. “think that’s all i’m good for, huh, sweetheart? did it ever occur to you that i might not be in the mood?”

“okay…” she squinted at him in confusion. “wait, why are _you_ upset?”

“i don’t know!” mason threw his hands up in the air before rubbing his face. “i don’t like this feeling right now.”

she raised an eyebrow at him. “what feeling, exactly?” she prodded gently.

his shoulders sagged and if brooklyn didn’t know better, she’d say he almost looked… dejected.

“like i’ve lost my chance with you before we’ve even seen how we could be together,” he said quietly, sending a sideways glance in her direction. “and for the record, i think we’d be fucking phenomenal.”

brooklyn’s heart was beating so fast she thought it would leap out of her chest. she swallowed thickly and willed her body to calm down so she could avoid being disappointed by mason yet again. “i’m not a game for someone to just have fun with for a time and throw away when they start getting bored. i want someone to think i’m worth waiting for,” she said, afraid to say it any louder than a whisper even though she knew mason would hear her anyway.

“oh sweetheart, i wouldn’t be here right now if i didn’t think you’d be worth it,” mason said, his eyes full of sincerity and a gentle smile that caught her off guard. she was so used to his flirty remarks being accompanied by a smirk that the absence of it was almost dizzying.

brooklyn frowned in confusion. her brain was used to making sense of things logically and she had barely had a full conversation with mason since that moment in the bakery when she felt something more between them, something deeper, swirling underneath the tension. it was dangerous to let herself hope, but maybe, just maybe, he felt it too.

“i know what you want and as soon as you get it, you’ll be done with me. well, i’m not interested in playing your game, mason, so feel free to find someone else,” she said, the quiver in her voice contradicting the gravity of her words as she opened the door to her apartment and stepped inside.

mason’s hand shot out to keep the door open and brooklyn looked up at him, eyes widening slightly in surprise.

“i could never be done with you,” he said softly. there was no hint of snark or teasing in his voice.

he stepped into the doorway, casting a shadow over her small frame even in the dark of the apartment.

“what do you want, mason?” she asked, something akin to hope starting to bloom in her chest.

mason gently stroked her cheek with his thumb, pausing briefly at the corner of her lips. “you,” he answered with such confidence and honesty that brooklyn knew she believed him wholeheartedly.

he slowly lowered his forehead to hers. “just you. we don’t have to do anything physical. i just can’t help but want to be near you all the time. that damn movie’s in my head now.”

she looked up at him shyly through her eyelashes and smiled, walked backwards into the apartment so he could close the door behind him. even in the dark, mason could see the vibrant blush on her cheeks that was slowly becoming his favorite feature of hers.

“that’s all i wanted to know. does this mean i should expect an impromptu confession in the rain?” she teased, moving to turn on the light and make herself comfortable on the couch.

to her surprise yet again, mason chuckled. “you should know me well enough by now, sweetheart, to know that i’m not really into that,” he said. his eyes softened as he took a seat next to her. “but for you, maybe i’ll make an exception.”

her face beamed in a way he didn’t know was possible and he knew he wanted to figure out what it would take for her to look at him like that always.

**Author's Note:**

> i appreciate any comments you may have - to find this on tumblr, feel free to check out my writing/art reblogs @homeformyheart.


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